How refreshed would you feel if you took off one day every week? What if for 24 hours, you didn’t work, didn’t fret over cleaning or running errands, and didn’t feel the pressure to check items off your to-do list at the first sign of free time?
What if for just one day a week, you refused to feel guilty for resting? You would be participating in a modern day sabbath.
Do We Even Have Time For a Modern Day Sabbath?
Now I know what you’re thinking. If only I didn’t have so much to do!
And I feel you! I work 40 hours a week, spend 10 hours commuting there and back, log 10-15 hours a week into my side gig, and act as my child’s primary caregiver 6-7 hours every weekday, and all day weekends.
So the idea of taking one day off a week sounded impossible and frankly, irresponsible, when I first considered it. But man, if I didn’t need a day off!
What I found was that I was constantly running on fumes when I pushed myself to the max seven days a week.
I was exhausted to the point of tears, was easily irritated with the people I loved most, and felt enormous guilt any time I gave myself a few minutes off, thinking about all of the productive things I should have accomplished with that time.
What God Says About Observing the Sabbath
I ultimately found I was worse at everything when I wasn’t taking an occasional rest. And that’s when I stumbled across Isaiah 58:13-14 (MSG) in my daily Bible reading:
“If you watch your step on the Sabbath and don’t use my holy day for personal advantage, if you treat the Sabbath as a day of joy, God’s holy day as a celebration, if you honor it by refusing ‘business as usual,’ making money, running here and there — Then you’ll be free to enjoy God! Oh, I’ll make you ride high and soar above it all. I’ll make you feast on the inheritance of your ancestor Jacob.” Yes! God says so!
The idea in the Bible was that one day a week, people would stop working. They’d attend church, spend time with their family and friends, and avoid checking any items off their to-do lists, all with the intention of honoring God. And it wasn’t just an Old Testament concept!
In Mark 2:27-28, Jesus referred to himself as “Lord of the Sabbath.” He explained that we were not created to serve the sabbath, but that the sabbath was created to serve and help us.
Romans 14 further discusses that everything you do on a holy day (alluding to the sabbath) should be done to the glory of God.
What Does a Modern Day Sabbath Look Like?
So what does that mean for today? Because life 2000 years ago was obviously very different (and likely less busy) than it is now.
What things can you do to rest and honor God on a modern day sabbath?
- Refrain from work, or from checking items off your to-do list.
- Attend church (commanded in Leviticus 23:3 and 1 Corinthians 11:18).
- Invest extra time into worshiping God, and reading and studying the Bible.
- Focus on spending quality time with family and friends.
- Minimize housework as much as possible. I mean, don’t leave out food that brings all the bugs to the yard, but don’t make this the day you vacuum the entire house or scrub the bathtub.
- Keep meals low-key (think crockpot dumps, sandwiches, or ordering a pizza).
- Avoid mindless and potentially stressful technology, like scrolling social media or checking emails.
- Switch things up from your normal day-to-day. So if you spend 40-50 hours a week at a desk, talk a walk or visit a park. If you spend your week on your feet in the hot sun, sit down in a cool room and allow your body to rest.
- Invest time into those things you’ve been meaning to do for yourself. Take a relaxing bath, watch a movie, or log time with a hobby, like writing, knitting, or biking.
Keep in mind that your sabbath doesn’t necessarily have to fall on a Sunday or Saturday. I’m scheduled to work from 3:00 PM to midnight every Sunday, so I decided to practice my modern day sabbath on one of my days off, Friday.
What About My To-Do List?
What about all of the other things you intended to do that day? After all, it’s rare to experience a day in which you have absolutely nothing to check off your list.
What about grocery shopping, paying bills, and filling out that paperwork you were supposed to complete last week?
As I prepared for my first modern day sabbath, I had to decide where to fit all of those tasks elsewhere in my week. Yes, I made the other six days of the week slightly more stressful…in order to create one truly carefree day.
God helped His people accomplish this in the Bible. While He was sending the Israelites their daily manna in the desert, He would always send a double portion of manna on the sixth day, to allow the Israelites to rest from work on the seventh day, their sabbath.
And I believe God does the same for us today. I find it challenging to work full-time and invest time into my side gig — writing and website management. So imagine my fear at the thought of not working at either job for an entire day every week!
But as I began to practice a modern day sabbath, I found that I was accomplishing more on my side gig throughout the week. I was more focused and energized, and knocking out my work in nearly half the time.
I sincerely believe that God blesses our efforts to honor Him, and won’t leave us with work hanging over our heads. It was difficult to believe that at first. But week after week of experiencing God provide helped to settle my mind and heart that the work would be completed.
On my first attempt at a sabbath, I probably got up from my chair 30 times to start a task…then sat back down as I remembered I was observing a sabbath.
And I’ve gotta tell you…giving myself the permission, the command even, to rest and focus on my faith and family for 24 hours? It felt like an overwhelming breath of fresh air.
And when I returned to my job, side gig, and general chaos the following day? I felt refreshed, and experienced a surge of energy that I hadn’t felt in months.
It’s your turn! How will you practice a modern day sabbath?
I challenge you to try practicing your own modern day sabbath. It’s not only an act of obedience to God’s commands, but also an act of love…as we commit one of our most valuable resources, our time, to our Father and Lord.
And the return on that obedience? It’s the rest and refreshment you desperately need.
What will your modern day sabbath look and feel like? We can’t wait to hear about it!
P.S. Need a little help getting a solid handle on your to-do list? Then nab our free Tame the Overwhelm worksheets here!
Disclosure: While all opinions are our own, we are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate advertising programs, designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites, at no additional cost to you.
rev dr renita green
Thursday 1st of February 2024
Hello. I am looking for the name of the author of this article. I would like to use it at a resource in a course I am teaching.
Deb
Thursday 1st of February 2024
Hi there, Reverend Green! I wrote this post - Deb Preston. 😀 Thanks so much for including my post in your course, I'm honored! ❤️
Gina
Sunday 2nd of July 2023
I have an encouraging testimony regarding my son and the Sabbath. He works for a grocery store and was being promoted to be one of the managers. During this time he really got into his word and studying the whole Bible from the Torah to the new covenant. He really researched the Sabbath and prior to becoming manager he made the decision he wanted to be committed to keeping the Sabbath.
He prayed and wrote a letter to his lead at the store took it in shared his beliefs with them as they read his letter, they literally told him because of his convictions and at such a young age they would be more than happy to work with him and give him those days he needed.
He was was blessed with Saturdays off and he works early morning shifts Fridays. What I learned from my 22 year old son is that we forget the type of God we worship. His faith in the Father is why he was blessed, as this is not what should have happen, as a new manager. It was a faith builder because even though he works with great people, many or not believers.
All things are possible through him and if he calls for us to commit to Sabbath on the 7th day, if we have faith and believe and truly want to honor him he will move mountains for us.
As believers our faith get tested and sometimes it can show us where we are in our faith. If we lack faith and doubt in the almighty power of our Father, he can help us to grow in faith by us allowing him to step in and help us. We see that many times in the Bible, that he never breaks a promise to his true believers. I believe everyone has to come to their own convictions about many things in the Bible and God will bring us all to his truth in his timing. Absolutely if God calls me to help my neighbor on a Sabbath who is sick, of course I would do so. It's doing the will of the Father.
However, to go out and hang out with friends shopping and buying on a day that is meant to glorify the Father and be in his word, resting, praising and self reflecting on my spiritual walk and what I could do better to glorify God. He does call us to follow his commands and just like me and my son we had to get there and it's all about taking it to God not man because man has no heaven for any of us. We need to study those scriptures ourselves to make sure we are right with the father regardless what anyone says because we have to answer to God. I loved the post and much love and blessings to you all.
Deb
Thursday 6th of July 2023
Thank you so much for sharing such an encouraging story, Gina! ❤️ And what inspirational faith and courage your son has at such a young age. Praise God!
Chris
Saturday 29th of October 2022
Beautifully written. The juxtaposition of Old Testament writings with Jesus’s actions and teachings really helped me see the shift in focus from legalism to the spirit of the law. Jesus taught on several occasions about how the Pharisees would meet the letter of the law, but fall drastically short in their hearts. He warned them even to their faces that this hypocrisy would face the ultimate judgment of the Lord.
Thank you for presenting Jesus’s teaching on the Sabbath so clearly.
Deb
Friday 18th of November 2022
Thanks so much for reading, Chris! I'm so glad you found it helpful!
Michelle G
Saturday 15th of October 2022
As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I want to commend you for writing such an article as this. It was well thought out and written. I like how you worded honoring the Sabbath day so much that I copied and pasted a lot of it into a Goggle Docs page to reference the next time I prepare a message on keeping the Sabbath day holy. So, thank you!
Deb
Saturday 15th of October 2022
Thanks so much, Michelle! I'm so glad you found it helpful! <3
Athena
Saturday 10th of April 2021
It is fine to practice Sabbath on a day that isn’t Friday evening to Saturday evening right? I’ve met someone say it has to be Friday, and if we’re going to practice the Sabbath it has to be the real Sabbath. And that why would you choose a day that’s convenient for you, instead of what God has ordained as the Sabbath. It really put me off because it felt super legalistic.
Pinkston
Monday 7th of February 2022
God ordained and hallowed the day for a reason. It acknowledges Creation and the creative power of God. It's a seal for us. It wasn't just for the Jews. The Sabbath was sanctified before there was ever any Jews. It was ordained by number not days of the week. Saturday is the 7th day. Look up what Sunday means and why the Sabbath was changed to Sunday. It was not changed by God. Bible history and the Jews help identify the correct day in our time . The are other scriptures that point to these truths.
Pinkston
Monday 7th of February 2022
Which day is observed actually does matter. God inscribed (in stone) with His own finger The Ten Commandments. I'm referring to God's set of commandments where the Sabbath Day is discussed as the 4th Commandment. There is another set of commandments that were changed. I'm not talking about that set. Those aren't God's. There are scriptures that have been misconstrued as which day doesn't matter, but again, it actually does.
Selah Chunem
Saturday 22nd of January 2022
For me God has taken me on a journey that I didn't really even purposely enter into. Because of enlightenment and revelation to different principles that the modern church practices that are not really biblically based on the original practices of the Christian church for the 1st 3 centuries AD and certainly l ike in the days of Peter and st. Paul. There are certainly many godly people in the 1st day of the week worshippers still that have not gotten the revelation of the sanctity and command to keep the sabbath holy for Jesus is the Lord of the sabbath. As a result the concept even of sabbath rest in Christ is repelling with no real peace esp emotional and physically for those of worship on that 1st day. In fact even some bivocational pastor's work worldly jobs after church. Realtors are checking their computers to make contacts before going to church and after just getting all this mixed up. I would say do not fear legalism by keeping the sabbath as a command from from God himself for as you know God said that the sabbath was made for man man not man not made for the sabbath. Legalism is to keep it like the orthodox Jews with the 39 restricted tenants of what they've shall not do so to speak. Also through deeper conviction I strongly recommend not supporting fast foods and restaurants eating out in commercial settings because you're causing other people to have to work the to serve you thus your spending money which is not supposed to be done in worldly contact. It can be helped. Do unto others as you would have them do on to you. Family time should not include going to commercial movies or big professional sporting events where you're paying to enter into it. Go out in the backyard and toss a soccer ball or passes.Take kids to play around and relax after church. Fellowship with nature taking a walk in a wonderfully green area. It's the abundance between rest from work and weanning interactions and purchases interaction. Instead emphasize time with family interaction with nature and fellowship together according to Hebrews 10:25 studying God's words, worshipping meditating, on God's word, prayer,singing worship songs and Christian music. It can be extended to watch Christian movies and listen to Christian ipod's radio shows as a more Contemporary version of a sabbath if that enhances your walk with God as well. Just a thought as God am hasshowed me now. There could be challenges if you lived in an unequally yoked home or relationship with other members had don't worship God or follow 1st day of the week rituals.I hope this encourages you.
Deb
Sunday 11th of April 2021
Hi, Athena! While I'm sure some would disagree, I believe the arrival of Jesus shifted the focus from strictly adhering to very specific guidelines, to doing all things with the right heart. We live in an age where we can't always guarantee we won't work on a Saturday or Sunday. Sure, we can express our preferences to our employer, but many positions and entire industries (industries where God has called us to serve and witness) don't have the resources or ability to meet those preferences. Even though I work on Sundays, I still strongly believe in practicing the Sabbath and believe it is God's desire for my life as well. If you read His word, pray over the words, and do all things with the right heart, I do believe God both accepts and honors those efforts. Thanks so much for reading!!